ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on strategies that can be used to increase the efficiency of the diagnostic process. Probably the worst approach to medical diagnostics is to perform every conceivable test on a patient, in the hope that something will “show up.” Diagnostic tests are usually done in parallel when rapid assessment of the patient's condition is necessary, as in emergency or hospitalized patients, or emergency-care patients where the health status of the patient will determine whether a subsequent procedure can be performed. Serial testing may be used during the course of a diagnostic workup, where rapid assessment of patients is not required, or when some of the tests are expensive or risky. The choice of a particular diagnostic test, or the interpretation of a test result, should be made within the context of the clinical situation. Diagnostic certainty is usually conveyed using terms such as “likely,” “probable,” “consistent with,” or “suggestive”.
